Collar stay



Dec. 8, 1942. a MANASTER I 2,304,464

' COLLAR STAY Filed April 21, 1941 36/2 13. Mamsfev Patented Dec. 8, 1942 COLLAR STAY Ben B. Manaster, Chicago, Ill., assignor of onehalf to Charles I. Greener, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 21 1941, Serial No. 389,567

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a collar stay designed and constructed for use in connection with soft shirt collars, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved construction of this character which will be highly efficient in use and economical in manufacture. Among the several objects of this invention is the provision of a collar stay having a substantial portion of its body encased within a plastic coating so' as to prevent a, soiling of the shirt fabric when the stay is applied thereto.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a collar stay having a relatively flexible body, a

housing for said body which will coact with piercing means adapted to be aflixed in the fabric of the shirt to limit the extent to which the piercing means may pass into the fabric material.

QA further object of this invention is to provide in a collar stay adapted to keep the wings of down turned collars in neat appearance by a relativelyblunt bearing portion adapted to engage in the crease of the collar so as to prevent deformation of the collar stay at the point of bearing and to provide adniform. engaging surface at the point of bearing.

Other objects and advantageswill appear more readily in the specification in View of the drawinginwhich: v

' Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a collar and necktie assembly showing my new collar stay applied in position; I l

Fig. 2 is anenlarged view of the collarstay embodying myinvention; v A

n Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the stay shown in Fig. 2 and is taken substantially along line 3-3 thereof at a substantially increased scale with respect thereto; p p

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary detail View showing my new fabric-engaging means applied to the wing portions of a collar stay; v

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of the same as seen along line 5-5 in Fig; 4, at a substantially larger scale with respect thereto; Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the lower end of one of the leg'portions of the collar stay of Figs; 1 to 3 inclusive; I Figs. '7 to 9 inclusive areeach fragmentary d'etailtiews of modifications 'of theconstruction planation in bringing out the purpose and advantages of my invention.

ment is of a predetermined length and has arranged thereon a pliable covering I4 which may be made of any one of the well known plastics. This. covering I4 is of a length substantially shorter than the length of the wire member l2 so thata portion of the pointed ends I3 will be exposed.

The wire l2 and casing 14 as heretofore stated are formed into U-shape to provide a cross bar It and a pair of legs Hi. There is provided at the juncture of the cross bar It and each of the legs it a, humpl! extending rather obliquely from a cross bar I5 and leg l5. Each of the leg members l5 terminates in a convoluted loop J8 with the endl9 of-the.p1astic casing l4 terminating in substantially abutting relationship with the initial bend 26-01 the loop 18, The

pointed end. l3extends substantially in align- V .mentwith the extended legs {5 (-Figs. 3 and 6) v and. is so related to the convoluted loop as to provide a clamping actionon anymaterial into which the pointed .end 15 is disposed as will be hereafter explained.

As seen in Fig. 1, the collar stay is adapted to be arranged with the cross bar l5 beneath the knot of the tie H and thepin points 53' of the pointed ends l3 piercing the fabric of the shirt collar H3 at the apex of thewing members between which the tie H is disposed. The action is such that the leg members l5 function as struts to hold the wing elements of; the collar outstretched and to make v them appear to be starched. The cross bar I fi'bears up underneath 13116111101301 the tie maintaining the latter as near the point of convergence of the-upper portionof the wing of the collar and the hump member I! effecting a bearing action against the inner creas of the collar member). p .7

By reason of the pliability of theplastic coatll'lg M the resiliency of the superstructure or wire element l 2 is in no way minimized. In the manufacture ofwire collar stays a relatively inexpensive wire materialis employed. This wire element {2 under normal circumstances is wont to become rusty or otherwise tarnished. which renders the collar stay less inviting to a user because the rustedor tarnished surfaces of such wire elements are likely to soil the fabric of the shirt material. It is therefore seen that the pliable coating prevents such objectionable characteristics and rendersthe collar stay useable for a greater period of time.

Each of the leg elements It provide anchoring means in the form of the pin points l3 and the convoluted loops l8. This anchoring means is so constructed that the end H) of the plastic coating provides a shoulder formation 19 on the pointed ends l3 'of the wire element I2. This shoulder formation I9 provided as at l9 limits the piercing action of the pin points IS with regards the fabric of the shirt. In addition to limiting the piercing action of the pin points IS the coating on the convoluted loop has a bearing action against the side wall of the fabric and coacts with the pointed end l3 to clampingly engage the shirt material so as to prevent the pin points from becoming dislodged without a certain amount of force, such as the withdrawal by hand on the part of the user.

The upper ends of the legs at their point of juncture with the cross bar l5 provide engaging members in the form of the humps ll. These hump members are adapted to be inclosed within a relatively flat cup shaped member 2 I having a closed end portion 22 and an open end portion 23 through which the bight portion of the humps I1 is passed. This member 2! may be of a metal having a plating such as will preserve the material and the open end portion 23 of the member 2! is adapted to be crimped as at' 24 so as to clampingly engage the leg portions ll of the hump I! to maintain these leg portions in spaced relation with respect to each other. This cup formation on the hump l1 provides a relatively blunt collar engaging element wherewith to accomplish a neat appearance of the collar wings when the collar stay is applied and serves as a strengthening web for the leg elements 16.

Various forms of anchoring means may be emplayed in collar stays embodying the characteristics of my invention, .severalof which are il1ustrated in Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive.

Referring to the anchoring means of Fig. '7, the leg member it instead of being bent to initially start the convoluted loop l8, extendstangentially with respect to the loop l8 and has the pointed end I3 extending downwardly from the shoulder l9 provided by the end IQ of the plastic coating !4. In this arrangement the pointed element I3 is limited in its piercing action with respect to the fabric into which it is anchored by the shoulder I9, and the pointed end I3 coacts with the loop I8 to effect a clamping action on the fabric of the shirt.

The modified form of anchoring'means il1ustrated in Fig; 8 is of a substantial S shape. The leg It being bent back upon itself as at 25 to provide a vertical leg portion 26 which in turn is bent back upon itself as at 2'! so that the pointed end l3 extends in the same direction as the leg I6 but is spaced horizontally with respect thereto. The plastic coating M is of a length such as to encase the wire element l2 up to a point where the end portion l3 begins its downward extension. This provides a shoulder l9 similar to that heretofore described, which limits the piercing action of the pointed end I3 with'respect to the garment and the coating on the vertical medial portion 26 of the S shaped anchor having 'coaction with the pointed end 13 so asto clampingly engage the collar I0, such piercing action being limited by the shoulder formation H).

In Fig. 9 there is shown a simple form of anchoring means wherein the lower end portion of the leg elements extend straight downward dispensing with the convoluted loop of Fig. 6 and relying solely upon the springiness or resiliency of the leg it for maintaining the pinpoint 13 in the apex of the wings of the collar, the end E9 of each of the leg members providing the shoulder formation l9 against which the fabric of the shirt will abut to limit the piercing action of the pin means 13.

Having thus described my invention, it is seen that I have provided in collar stays of a relatively inexpensive construction a novel covering for such collar stay which cooperates with the resiliency of the latter and further coacts with the pin means which is adapted to pierce the shirt material to provide a novel anchoring means for the collar stay. r a

While I have illustrated and" described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

leg, the combination of ,a pliable tubular coating for said body and adapted to assume the shape of the latter, said pliable coating terminating at the point of juncture of said pointed end and said convoluted loop and adapted to limit the piercing action of the pointed'end.

2. In a collar stay having a wire body of U- shaped form to provide .a cross bar and a pair of depending legs, said leg portions each terminating in an S bend and providing a medial portion and a pointed end extending in the direction of said depending leg, the provision of a pliable tubular coating for said body and adapted to assume the shape of the latter; said pliable coating terminating at the final bend of said 8 bend and preventing the fabric of the collar wings from working up and past said last bend. 3. A collar stay having a wire body of U-shape formation to provide a cross bar, a Pair of depending legs, U-shape portions joining the ends of the cross bar with corresponding end portions of the legs, the opposite corresponding end portions of said legs terminating into penetrating. 

